"This election is different because we have pell mell erosion of law,
the constitutional order, where President Obama has pushed an agenda
that eviscerates the immigration legal system, and pushed this trade
agreement that will commence decades of transferring American economic
power to an ever-expanding international commission. It's just not going
to stop" unless voters take action, he warned.

"This election will be the last chance for Americans to get control
of their government," said Sessions, repeatedly making that point. "I
think this election is the big one. To win, Republicans need to
demonstrate that they care about the average person who goes to work
every day," he added....

The influence of Sessions on key issues in the presidential race,
especially TPP and immigration, can't be underestimated. He was the
loudest voice against TPP, which the president plans to sign in the
coming weeks, and helped Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz on immigration
issues.

"It's been a sham, decade after decade, and the voters need to know
that this might be the last chance to elect a president who can reduce
this tide and to end the illegality and serve the interests of working
Americans. Their jobs, their wages, their hospitals, their schools the
public safety, have to be put first," Sessions urged.

The poll's findings are based on 47 percent of those likely to attend
considering themselves evangelical or born again Christians. When
re-weighted as a scenario test for the higher evangelical turnout seen
in 2012 entrance polls, the race is closer, with 26 percent for Trump
and 25 percent for Cruz.

A Trump victory could significantly boost
his chances of winning his party's nomination, while a second-place
finish for Cruz would be a major setback for a candidate who has
invested heavily in Iowa and enjoyed strong support from evangelical
Christians who form a large part of the state’s electorate. Trump is
dominating in polling in New Hampshire and South Carolina, the two
states that follow Iowa in the nomination calendar.

Just two days
before the first-in-the-nation caucuses, the race remains fluid, even
after hundreds of campaign stops in Iowa, tens of millions of dollars of
advertising and seven nationally televised debates.

More than
half—55 percent—say their mind is made up, while 45 percent say they
either don't have a first-choice candidate or could still be persuaded
to pick someone else. In the final Iowa Poll before the 2012 Republican
caucuses, 51 percent say they had their minds made up.

Trump's
advantage over Cruz is a reversal of the race in the previous Bloomberg
Politics/Des Moines Register Iowa Poll in early January,when he trailed
25 percent to 22 percent.

Under near constant attack from Trump
since December, Cruz’s favorability rating has also dropped—by 11 points
to 65 percent. Trump is viewed favorably by 50 percent, a four-point
drop since the prior poll and the lowest of the top four candidates.
Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and Rubio are in the low 70s.

The
crowded Republican field appears to be working against Cruz. If the race
for the nomination eventually became a two-person race between Trump
and Cruz, 53 percent of likely Republican caucus-goers would pick Cruz,
while 35 percent would go with Trump.

"There's an appreciation for
Cruz even among people who are voting in a different way," said Selzer,
who is widely considered the state's top pollster. "For Trump, he might
be able to win, in part because the field is as big as it is."

In
fourth place is Carson, who is backed by 10 percent of likely
Republican caucus-goers, followed by U.S. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky
at 5 percent. No other candidate recorded above 3 percent.

Cruz's
drop from an Iowa Poll in early December—when he led the field at 31
percent—reflects a falloff in support across multiple demographic
groups, including people who define themselves primarily as evangelical
conservatives, where his backing dropped 12 percentage points. His
support among the youngest and oldest also dropped and he lost 14 points
in the Third Congressional District that includes parts of central and
southwest Iowa, including the state capitol of Des Moines....

prospects for winning a general election (35 percent to 24
percent) and

keeping "your family safest" (28 percent to 24 percent).

Cruz
beats Trump on having the "greatest depth of knowledge and experience"
(26 percent to 17 percent), as well as being respected by leaders of
friendly countries (20 percent to 16 percent).

Two dramatic moves
in the final weeks of the Iowa race appeared to make little difference. A
plurality—46 percent—say they didn't care that Trump skipped the debate
in Des Moines this week, while Iowa Governor Terry Branstad’s plea to
defeat Cruz failed to sway 77 percent of likely Republican caucus-goers....

The findings highlight some of the hurdles facing
Bloomberg should he decide to enter the race. The former mayor isn't
well known in the state among the most motivated voters in both parties,
with 41 percent of likely Republican caucus-goers and 57 percent of
likely Democratic caucus-goers not knowing him well enough to share an
opinion.

For those who do have an opinion,50 percent of
Republican caucus-goers have anunfavorable view,versus just 9 percent
who hold a favorable opinion. Among those likely to attend the
Democratic caucuses, that split was 26 percent unfavorable to 17 percent
favorable.

Bloomberg was a three-term mayor of New York, twice as
a Republican and finally as an independent, and is the founder and
majority owner of Bloomberg LP, parent of Bloomberg News.

"Jan. 30 (Bloomberg)—The Iowa Poll, conducted January 26-29 for Bloomberg Politics and The Des Moines Register by Selzer and Co. of Des Moines, is based on telephone interviewswith 602 registered Iowa voters
who say they definitely or probably will attend the 2016 Republican
caucuses and 602 registered voters who say they definitely or probably
will attend the 2016 Democratic caucuses.

It’s
a historic change in voter behavior. The Democratic and Republican
parties have dominated American politics since the mid-1850s. They grew
and prospered as inclusive coalitions that tolerated diverse views for
the sake of winning elections and then consolidating power....

“Americans’ attachment to the two major political
parties in recent years is arguably the weakest Gallup has recorded
since the advent of its polls,” Gallup reported in January.

Just
29 percent called themselves Democrats last year, it found, “making it
safe to conclude that the current (number) is also the low point in
Gallup polling history.” Republican loyalty was only 1 percentage point
above its recent low of 25 percent three years ago. The bloc of independents reached 40 percent in 2011, and it has stayed at or above that level ever since.

Most
indifferent to parties: young Americans. Nearly half the millennials
identified as independents in 2014, Pew found, more than the combined
total of those willing to be called either Democrats or Republicans.

“I
never want to write down that I’m a Republican,” said Rebecca Sorensen,
a sophomore at Penn State. She leans Republican but is reluctant to
openly identify with the party because she supports abortion rights.

Historically, children adopted their parents’ political views, including identification with the two major parties. Not anymore.

Millennials get information from sources other than from family
dinners, neighbors or campaign brochures. If something piques their
interest, they turn to Twitter, text messaging, The Skimm and other
modern forms of instant communication.

“If I want to know more, I Google it,” said Jayla Akers, a sophomore at Penn State University.

They
gerrymander congressional districts to maximize their chances so that
election after election only a handful of House of Representatives races
are true contests. Of the House’s 435 seats, 402 incumbents are
considered safe bets for re-election this year, said the nonpartisan Rothenberg and Gonzales Political Report....

It’s a far cry from freedom from party or faction that the Founding Fathers envisioned.

Republicans once had a strong bloc of abortion rights supporters, for example,but in 1976 the party formally included in its platform support for a constitutional amendment “to restore protection of the right to life for unborn children.” It’s now unmistakably the anti-abortion party....

Democrats also were critical
of their own tactics....“It’s true that today’s multifaceted political landscape
changes the footprint of national parties,” said Democratic Chairwoman
Debbie Wasserman Schultz............. But she noted that “in the primaries, we
set the rules for the nomination andnothing can replace the unique
ability of the national parties to effectively organize and mobilize
voters,” and their role in the general election is so detailed it
“cannot be replicated externally.”

Take Freedom Partners,
an organization sponsored by brothers Charles and David Koch of
Wichita, Kan. Last year, the group committed to spend $889 million on
politics and policy in 2015 and 2016....

And
the Koch network does more than just spend money. Twice each year it
hosts about 400 executives, who pay dues of $100,000 each, for meetings
on politics and policies....

Other alternatives to the parties also are gearing up. In
that world, everyday voters ask, how can they ever be heard? Not
through the Republican or Democrats parties, say increasing numbers of
voters.

Comment: Rush Limbaugh has articulated the horrors of the Establishment better than anyone else for many years yet remains in love with it. He often says what needs to be said, but easily mixes in Establishment cheer leading and nastiness (in this case, anyone but Trump). Elites know they can count on Rush when it matters most.

"Rush: I understood the point that our first
caller was making....that reporters shouldn't be the ones making news....Moderate
it, fine, just ring the bell when time's up. And other than that, let
it go, let it be a real debate, not an elongated Sunday show. And a lot
of people have this view.

But, see, the game has evolved...that the media does
have this prominent role. They determine what is news; they determine
what isn't news. And they determine what you hear about the news in
terms of commentary. And they used to have a monopoly on it. Now they
don't, which has made them I think even more partisan. Openly
partisan....But here comes Trump outside the parameters of
all this, outside the boundaries, he's not playing the game. He's done
it, he's played the game, he's been a good boy up until now, but this,
for whatever reasons that he cites, is too much....

The bottom line is, nobody does this. In the process, Trump has taken
charge of the media....The media is out there saying you don't get
to control the media, Trump is controlling the media. "Nobody gets to
control the media." Yeah, they do, if they can. Are you telling me
that Bill Clinton hasn't controlled the media, Barack Obama doesn't
control the media? Don't make me laugh. Any way you slice this, Donald
Trump is the story. He's the story when he's there; he's the story
when he's not there....

Fox News would love to have viewers that are interested in things
other than just the news. I mean, how else are they gonna grow their
audience? So you could argue that all of this, boiled down to its
essence, is show business of one form or another. And if that's the
case, who's better at it than anybody else? Who's familiar with it, who
knows how to do show business media?

Some people, when they're faced with the media, are simply compliant
and polite and try to answer the questions and others look at them as
people with whom you have to engage in combat....And some say...why do I have to basically bow down and kiss their feet to get
where I want to go? Trump is media savvy. He knows TV and a big part
of knowing TV is not fearing it. That's why I have to chuckle when I
hear people, "Oh, man, Trump, not looking good, afraid of Megyn Kelly?...If you're afraid of Megyn Kelly how you gonna
negotiate with Putin?" It isn't about being afraid of anybody....

Now, Trump isn't even unprecedented here. Do
you remember the RNC canceled a debate on NBC?... 'Cause
they didn't like the questions that were asked by the CNBC moderators,
if you remember that....That was the debate where Ted Cruz
stopped everything for a minute and said. "The questions being asked
here are absurd. They're ridiculous, they're offensive, and they're
distracting."

Everybody applauded and all that, andthe CNBC moderators smirked and
laughedand they chuckled. Even though they were being ripped to
shreds, they thought, "Home run, man! We became the story." The idea
that members of the media are not the story? Don't make me laugh. The
idea that the media gets out of the way, doesn't want to become the
story?...Who's gonna pay you $6 million a year to anchor a
program where you aren't the news?...If they're gonna pay
you $6 million, $12 million, whatever it is, you better be the reason
people are tuning in....

It's happening throughout the media. It's all now
personal....all
personality oriented."...

"Folks, I want to let you in on another observation of mine -- and
that's all it is, is an observation. I have found, when talking to
people, including media people in the East Coast, New York -- well, all
the way up and down the East Coast, but New York -- Washington, Boston,
down here in south Florida and so forth, virtually everybody thinks of
Fox News as a conservative network. But you go out... As I've traveled
around and go places...

I'm here to tell you: Fox News is not considered the conservative
network that it used to be. I'm not trying to stir anything up here. I'm saying that when you hear the media, who are all leftists, talk
about Fox News, it may as well be the John Birch Society as far as
they're concerned....It may as well be the
Birchers. It may as well be whatever evil right-wing organization. But you go out to the heartland of this
country, and it's not so much. I mean, what would a conservative
network be doing giving time to Michael Moore?...

Now, the identity is still pretty
obviously heavily tilted to news and analysis that you don't get
anywhere else, and that remains true. I'm just telling you people's
perceptions as they share them with me. I'll tell you what I think...It's just more evidence of the media being
out of touch...

Since we're talking about Iowa, I don't think they really know what's
important to the people of Iowa. Becausethey look at everything
through their own prismof being in the Northeast and part of the
liberal power structure that determines every social, political
structure in that part of the country -- and, as such, there's a
divide....And it's no more obvious than the issue of immigration. But it's also
obvious on the issue of say, Obamacare, or spending....When you start
talking about Fox News, people in the media say, "Oh, it's just
embarrassing. Right wing! My God, ugh." But it's not thought of that
way in many parts of the country."

Ed. note: Rush Limbaugh is Establishment at heart. I define Establishment as 'the country comes last.' He's somehow able to absorb and distill information of value to a general audience. That's my experience listening to his show since 1989 and reading his transcripts.

Lt.
Gov. Henry McMaster, who was elected in November 2014, previously
served as the state's attorney general and chairman of the South
Carolina GOP. He is the highest-ranking South Carolina official to
endorse Trump.

McMaster introduced Trump at his rally, calling him a "man of accomplishment."

"He's
actually done some things. Some big things," McMaster said. "He speaks
the truth as he sees it in words everybody can understand."

McMaster
had previously supported Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who
dropped out of the presidential race last month after a campaign spent
frequently sparring with Trump, who repeatedly criticized the South
Carolina senator.

Graham has since endorsed former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in the GOP race.

Richard
Quinn, who has been a friend and political consultant to both Graham
and McMaster, told CNN that McMaster and Graham are "very close."

Quinn
also said McMaster's endorsement is yet another indication that Trump's
presidential bid is gaining legitimacy in establishment circles as
Trump is perceived more and more as the likeliest candidate to emerge as
the GOP standard-bearer.

And McMaster's backing is just the latest in a string of endorsements the Trump campaign has rolled out in the last week.

The campaign first announced former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's endorsement last Tuesday. And this week, the campaign announced endorsements from evangelical leader Jerry Falwell Jr., the son of the late influential televangelist, and Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the hardline Arizona official who gained notoriety for his hardline anti-illegal immigration policies.

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, though, has been critical of Trump's bid, jabbing at the front-runner in her response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address earlier this month.

"During
anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the
angriest voices," Haley said. "We must resist that temptation. No one
who is willing to work hard, abide by our laws, and love our traditions
should ever feel unwelcome in this country."

Haley later confirmed that her remarks were in part aimed at Trump.

Trump, though, has tried to make nice with Haley, calling her a "friend" shortly after she made those remarks."

President Hollande also praised her part in pushing through same-sex marriage laws."

============================

Comment: BBC labels as "controversial proposals" the notion of removing French citizenship from convicted terrorists. Fine. If they're so concerned, BBC personnel should invite the terrorists to live with them in their homes. With their children and beloved family pets.

If victorious, Trump will carry the biggest and boldest mandate EVER....

What value lies within victory, if the reason for being victorious is
open to interpretation?...When Trump shows up to the White House, there won’t be anyone
in DC who doesn’t know exactly why he’s there....

It’s often a painful exhibition to watch a surgeon cut clear margins
out of an infected patient. And it definitely ain’t pretty when you have
to do it on a battlefield in the midst of an ideological war.

Trump would rather face an enemy who genuinely opposes him, MSNBC and
CNN, than deal with the likes of a enemy who puts on the mask of being
favorable toward him while simultaneously working diligently to
eliminate him. (Remember Brutus?)...

Obviously, a level of media dishonesty was dragged front
and center, in front of 24 million viewers, during the Fox News RNC/GOP
debate. It was the severity of the dishonesty, the deceptive intent and the
scope of the planning and forethought, that triggered the response. ENOUGH !...

It’s not about Megyn Kelly per se’. It’s about taking the strongest
most valuable part of Ailes organization, the one he has invested the
most time, effort, energy and emotion with, and confronting that ‘golden
goose’ first. Ailes would surely never respond the same way if it were a less valuable part of his business. Trump hits em’ where it hurts.

Appearances on CNN, MSNBC or the alphabets might seem antithetical to
most GOP candidateswho view Fox as a more direct channel to a specific
audience. But Trump is saying he’d rather confront an honest opponent
who he knows hates him, than walk into a dishonest interview unsure of
their masked ‘angle’.

Trump is also showing the approach he would take if he is able to
achieve victory and win the White House. Mitch McConnell will never be
accepted as a representative leader, nor would John Boehner, neither
could/would be trusted. Trump would dispatch their self-serving
interests to the land of irrelevance and work around them.

Yes, that implies he’d use the bully pulpit against his own
Republican leadership, if that was what’s needed to “Make America Great
Again”. Prepare for it....

Donald Trump’s greatest weapon is not his money, his wealth, or his
keen and astute business acumen, those are all simply tools he’s
developed over a lifetime. No, his greatest weapon against these
ideological foes is something we shared on the very first day of his candidacy….

"We learned from a secret back channel that the Ayatollah and Putin both
intend to treat Donald Trump unfairly when they meet with him if he
becomes president— a nefarious source tells us that Trump has his own
secret plan to replace the Cabinet with his Twitter followers to see if
he should even go to those meetings."